January is always filled with all the eARC’s
Total Number of Books: 16
Total Number of Pages: 4,645
Physical: 2
eBooks: 11
Audiobooks: 3
Favorite (New) Reads of the Month: Begin Again by Emma Lord AND The Reunion by Kayla Olson
Physical:
Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Number One is Walking by Steve Martin – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Going into Scattered Showers, I had already read a few of Rainbow Rowell’s short stories. There was only one or two extra stories that I really enjoyed, the rest were just a little underwhelming. The first half of Number One is Walking was wonderful—going through Steve Martin’s acting career through illustrations by Harry Bliss. The only problem was that it ended! The second half was just comics, and while that was fine and entertaining, I wanted more on Martin’s career.
eBooks:
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Reunion by Kayla Olson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Girls are Good by Ilaria Bernardini – ⭐️⭐️
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Begin Again by Emma Lord – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maame by Jessica George – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Hunter by Jennifer Herrera – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kill Joy by Holly Jackson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Central Place by Delia Cai – ⭐️⭐️
Look at all those ARCs! Talia Hibbert foray into the YA world was a rounding success. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was sweet and filled with her signature chemistry and banter between her two main characters. Emma Lord has had a new book come out every January for the past four years and I’ve loved every single one. They have everything I will forever love about most YA Contemporary: self-discovery, heart, and a little romance. Begin Again was no exception—now diving into college! Kill Joy was a fun little novella that just popped up on Netgalley one day. It takes place before the start of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson—Pippa and her friends have a murder mystery party, which sparks her interest in investigating Andie Bell’s murder. My Last Innocent Year was a really strong debut that I wanted to push a little further. I feel like it just scratched the surface and I wanted more. I really wanted to like Delia Cai’s debut, Central Places, but that main character was absolutely insufferable. I’m all about have an unlikeable protagonist, but she was so immature and self-absorbed, I almost couldn’t take it anymore.
Audiobooks:
The World Deserves My Children by Natasha Leggero – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around by Sarah Ready – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
My first Joan Didion! I own this book but I really wanted to listen to it, despite it not being narrated by her. She chronicles the year following the sudden death of her husband while her daughter was in and out of the hospital. Her writing is phenomenal and I can’t wait to read more from her. I already have some on my shelves!
Lindsay Glenne 